Mother’s Bistro & Bar

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my family and I traveled to Portland, Oregon. I was really looking forward to this trip because my friends had gone on and on about the great food and beer in the city. As those are some of my favorite things, I couldn’t have been more excited!

We woke up at an ungodly hour (3:15 am!) to catch our early morning flight, and arrived a few hours later. We checked into The Heathman Hotel, a beautiful hotel right in the middle of downtown Portland. We dropped off our bags and walked around the area to get our bearings. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

After walking around downtown, I was ready to see firsthand if Portland lived up to its foodie reputation. We headed to nearby Mother’s Bistro & Bar for lunch. The restaurant is light, open, and airy, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceilings.

For my appetizer, I ordered the Pierogi, which is handmade potato-filled dumplings topped with sautéed onions and sour cream. My family wanted to try them and I really, really didn’t want to share! They were delicious and I was sad when they were gone.

For her entrée, my sister ordered the California Turkey Panini, with fresh-roasted turkey breast, honey-cured bacon, Swiss cheese, tomato, and thousand island dressing on grilled country bread. The sandwich was served with pasta salad and a pickle. She really enjoyed it!

My Dad ordered the Mother’s Reuben, which is turkey breast on grilled country bread with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. He gobbled it right up.

My Mom ordered the Chopped Liver sandwich, which is made with slowly sautéed chicken livers and onions, lettuce, tomato, and red onion on toasted egg bread. I am not a liver fan and declined to try the sandwich, but my Mom loved it.

I was in a breakfast mood, so I ordered the omelette of the day. It was filled with ham, onions, and cheese, with sour cream drizzled on top. It was the fluffiest, most perfect omelette I have ever seen.

For dessert we ordered the Brownie Sundae Du Jour, which is brownies topped with housemade ice cream and sauces. It was gone very, very quickly.

We also ordered a slice of cheesecake with berry sauce. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of their desserts, and this was also fabulous.

I really enjoyed the food at Mother’s Bistro. It is comfort food at its finest! Portland, so far your food is living up to its reputation.